Aurora Soumet glanced at Charlot Mecklenburg, thinking to herself how clever this young man was. She had only mentioned the matter of the pact, and he had already guessed that she needed assistance.
"Does Menielman truly have such charm?"
"Even an unremarkable admirer like him is both skilled in martial arts and sharp-witted—not only is his swordsmanship exceptional, but his mind is equally astute."
She spoke in a low voice, "I hope you can fight a public duel on my behalf."
Charlot was slightly surprised and asked, "Aurora, do you really need someone else to fight a duel for you?"
Aurora Soumet's face reddened slightly, and she protested softly, "Not every Soumet is called Menielman."
Charlot nearly quipped that there were plenty of men who had dueled for Dolores, but a rare flicker of emotional intelligence stopped him from saying it aloud.
If he had said that, Aurora Soumet would have undoubtedly turned hostile. It was bad enough not measuring up to Menielman; to be compared unfavorably to Dolores as well would have been devastating.
Aurora calmed her emotions before explaining, "Because your opponent is the son of Count Lamorak, a mid-rank extraordinary knight. I couldn't find anyone else."
Charlot responded indifferently, "As long as it's not Count Lamorak himself, I probably have no issues. But there must be some context for this duel, right? What's the story?"
Having recently advanced to the eighth rank of extraordinary abilities, Charlot, though still considered mid-rank himself, did not fear any mid-rank extraordinary opponents, even if they were at the twelfth rank. After all, he had fought—and even killed—a few high-rank extraordinaries...
Well, he couldn’t quite remember how many.
Still, he was curious about the background of this incident.
If the son of Count Lamorak had issued a challenge to a gentleman, it would be difficult to refuse, but Aurora Soumet was a woman. It was unusual for a man to issue a duel to a lady, and Charlot found the situation peculiar.
Seeing Charlot’s indifference toward the duel opponent, Aurora visibly relaxed and explained, "Ban is my classmate. We attended both the national institute and the imperial university together. I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but he harbors an intense hostility toward every man around me."
"A few months ago, we clashed again. He declared that if I could find someone who could publicly defeat him within a year, he would stop bothering me. If I failed, I would have to... remain unmarried for life."
"He’s absolutely insane."
Charlot was stunned and thought, What kind of alloyed straight man logic is this?
"If he likes Aurora, he could simply propose a relationship. Sure, it’s domineering, but at least it would be logical! What’s this about forcing a girl to remain unmarried for life? Was his brain kicked by a demon-spirit mule?"
Receiving such a “gift” from Aurora, Charlot felt that if he truly managed to sign his name on the alliance between the Ingrima Empire and the Fars Empire, his future would be limitless. He might even achieve eternal fame from this pact, so it seemed only right to offer her a small favor in return.
When Aurora mentioned Ban Lamorak, her ample chest heaved with visible agitation. After taking a moment to compose herself, she asked, "What weapon do you need? Ban is exceptionally skilled with a lance."
Charlot replied, "I prefer short firearms!"
Aurora was so surprised that she instinctively mimicked the length of a short firearm by touching her index fingers together and pulling them apart slightly. She thought it was madness to use such a weapon against a knight’s lance—the disadvantage was simply too great.
Charlot wiggled his fingers slightly, and Aurora realized that he wasn’t referring to cold weapons but firearms. She shook her head and said, "You can’t use anti-magic armor-piercing rounds in this duel. It’s not a life-and-death battle, and you can’t actually kill the son of Count Lamorak. Normal bullets won’t penetrate his Frost Dragon combat energy. His defense is notoriously thick."
Charlot hadn’t considered that. Since this duel wasn’t a matter of blood for blood, firearms had clear limitations at the extraordinary level, lacking sufficient lethality.
After a moment of reflection, Charlot said, "Then I’m also skilled in swordsmanship."
In truth, most of Charlot’s combat experience relied on his three extraordinary firearms. Aside from that, he only had his swordsmanship to fall back on.
Aurora sighed. "You should practice more with a lance. A rapier is too short and will struggle against a knight’s lance."
Charlot nodded in agreement, having learned this lesson the hard way.
In the Dreamcrafting Realm, he had dueled Hughes hundreds of times, suffering defeat repeatedly under Hughes’s black knight’s lance. The disadvantage of a rapier against a knight’s lance was something Charlot had thoroughly experienced.
Hughes was a genuine master of lance combat. Purely in terms of lance techniques, Charlot had never encountered anyone more skilled.
Aurora offered, "I can get you a knight’s lance or a magical rapier. However, the duel must remain fair, so there’s only so much I can provide."
"What kind of weapon do you need? I mean, what attributes would you prefer for these weapons?"
Charlot was surprised and asked, "I can choose the attributes?"
Aurora countered, "Why not?"
Charlot, who owned a few extraordinary weapons, had always used whatever he happened to come across, never having the luxury of picking and choosing. He realized again the stark contrast between their social standings.
After a moment of consideration, Charlot said, "I’ve been practicing Blood Glory. If you can get me two vampiric weapons, that would be great. By the way, I won’t return them after the duel!"
Aurora rolled her eyes and replied, "I’m not that petty."
When it came to real discussions, agreements often required only a few sentences. Once their terms were settled, Aurora took her leave. Before departing, she even made plans with Dolores, Anastasia, and Belisa for their next shopping trip.
After Aurora left, Dolores asked, "What exactly did my cousin want from you?"
Charlot shrugged. "An Ingrima Empire tradition. She wants to hire me handsomely to duel another suitor."
Dolores was stunned. "You didn’t agree, did you?"
Charlot replied, "Why wouldn’t I agree if the price is right?"
Dolores pressed further, "Do you know that this suitor of hers is Ban Lamorak?"
Charlot answered, "Of course I know. So what? He’s not Count Lamorak himself."
"Just a mere mid-rank extraordinary!"
Dolores exchanged a look with Anastasia and Belisa, both of whom were equally wide-eyed and incredulous, as if they had just heard someone planning to challenge an ancient dragon.
Only then did Charlot realize something was off. He asked, "Does this Ban Lamorak have some unique reputation?"